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Tiger Woods is trying to win for a third consecutive week and capture his fifth career PGA Championship. (Greenwood/Getty Images)

The Live Report, Round 1

PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report has all the news and notes from the PGA Championship, and we'll be providing updates from Hazeltine all day, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.)

PGATOUR.com Staff

ROUND 1 WRAPS UP (7:50 p.m.): The first round of the PGA Championship is wrapping up at Hazeltine, where we're putting the final touches on The Live Report with a familiar theme from the past couple of weeks: Tiger Woods is in the lead.

The scoring wasn't super low, but it was low enough in the morning, allowing Woods to shoot a precision-powered 67. Padraig Harrington kept pace with him for the second week in a row, shooting a 68 to sit in second by himself.

Of those that teed off in the afternoon, Vijay Singh and David Toms, both former PGA Championship winners, had the most success with each shooting 69.

What will be interesting to see is if Woods can play that well in the wind tomorrow afternoon. He'll have similar conditions, if not worse, than Singh, Toms and the rest of the afternoon wave had today. If he does play well in the wind, it could be a long weekend for the rest of the field.

On the other end of that spectrum and among those struggling in the afternoon was also Phil Mickelson, though not because of the wind. After missing several short putts on his way to a 74 -- the third-highest score for Mickelson in the opening round of a major -- Lefty headed straight to the practice green. Will he be able to iron out a putting stroke that resulted in several missed short putts? As always, stay tuned when it comes to Mickelson. -- Brian Wacker

DALY WDS (7 p.m.): John Daly has withdrawn from the PGA Championship with a back injury, according to officials.

Daly, who won the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick and the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews, shot an opening-round 78 that included three bogeys, three double bogeys, an eagle and one birdie. For Daly, it marks the third straight time he won't make it to the weekend in a PGA TOUR event -- he missed the cut at the Buick Open and the RBC Canadian Open. -- Brian Wacker

QUIETLY MAKING A MOVE (6:23 p.m.): As much noise as Tiger Woods made with his 67 this morning, David Toms is moving up the leaderboard just as quietly, thanks to his fourth birdie of the day and the second time he's made back-to-back birdies in the opening round.

Toms, who won the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2001, has birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 and just made two more on Nos. 13 and 14.

The irony of this? That Toms is one of the shorter hitters on the PGA TOUR and that earlier this year he was frustrated that Bethpage Black was so long that it pretty much eliminated him from contention. "If it was firm and fast, it would have been a whole different story," Toms said then. "I think it's just conditions that dictate that a lot."

Well, the conditions at Hazeltine aren't exactly firm and fast, but they are more so than they were in the morning and so far Toms has been able to take advantage. Remember, even though this is a long course, it's so long that it can bring a guy like Toms back into the mix, especially given his accuracy. -- Brian Wacker

WORLD BEATERS (6 p.m.): For the first time since the Official World Golf Rankings began in 1986, players outside the top 30 have won three straight majors -- Stewart Cink (33) at the British Open, Lucas Glover (71) at the U.S. Open and Angel Cabrera (69) at the Masters.

The players in the best position to do so this week -- at least as of right now -- are Matthew Goggin and Alvaro Quiros. Both are in with 3-under 69s, just two back of leader Tiger Woods as the first round starts to wind down here at Hazeltine. Goggin comes into this week ranked 48th and Quiros 39th. -- Brian Wacker

SCOTT'S STRUGGLES CONTINUE (5:35 p.m.): At this point, it's probably fair to wonder what is going on with Adam Scott's swing and his game. For every recent flash that things were turning around for the Aussie -- a second-round 67 at Firestone, an opening-round 69 at the U.S. Open -- there have been twice as many steps backward. The latest comes today with Scott near the bottom of the leaderboard at 10 over through his first 14 holes.

Scott has eight bogeys, including four in a row, plus a double bogey and just five pars on Hazeltine. The last time the PGA Championship was here, Scott finished in a tie for 23rd. At this rate, he might finish 23 over by tomorrow.

Swing changes, injury and some off-the-course issues have certainly contributed to Scott's struggles this season, but he cannot be happy with his swing or his game right now, contrary to what he's been saying about feeling the best he has in a long time. Even last year's victory at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship is starting to look far away in the rear view mirror. -- Brian Wacker

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (5:05 p.m.): There is way too much golf left to get ahead of ourselves, but Tiger Woods is in what's known as position A after shooting that 67 earlier today. Here's why:

- He hit 12 of 14 fairways, which is a personal best for the world's best in a major.
- He has won all three of his majors when recording a bogey-free round, which he did Thursday. He was also bogey-free in Round 2 at Medinah.
- He has won on 7 of the previous 12 longest stroke-play courses dating back to 1989. Hazeltine is the longest major championship course in history. -- Brian Wacker

MICKELSON UPDATE (4:45 p.m.): Sure enough, the afternoon wave isn't scoring as well as the guys who went off this morning. The breeze has picked up and the course is firming up. One of those in the afternoon pairings is Phil Mickelson, who is even-par through his first eight holes.

Mickelson talked about how last week he was able to identify the areas of his game that needed the most work after such a long layoff. He specifically cited his short game, but so far he hasn't been able to correct those problems, especially with the putter. Mickelson has just one birdie and one bogey on Hazeltine's front nine and as a result is tied for 31st at the moment.

So far, only a few players have been able to make a move up the leaderboard here in the afternoon with Vijay Singh, John Senden, Soren Kjleldsen and David Toms all 2 under on their rounds so far. -- Brian Wacker

MORE TIGER TIDBITS (4:25 p.m.): Tiger Woods has recorded seven career wire-to-wire (sole possession of the lead/no ties) victories with the last coming in 2006 at the World Golf Championship-American Express Championship. He also achieved it at the 2005 British Open, 2003 Western Open, 2002 U.S. Open and World Golf Championship-American Express Championship and the 2000 U.S. Open and World Golf Championship-NEC Invitational. -- Mark Stevens

WEATHER UPDATE (4 p.m.): Friday and Saturday could interesting at Hazeltine. Temperatures will approach 90 and it will be humid -- but the real kicker will be winds blowing between 15-25 mph and gusting to 30 each day.

Sunday's forecast brings a 50 percent chance of rain, although the winds will die down a bit to between 10-20 mph. The high is expected to be 84 on Sunday. -- Helen Ross

QUOTE OF THE DAY (3:45 p.m.): "He's playing well and the best player in the world, but we've got a long way to go. First-round lead is kind of irrelevant anyway because you never want to give up too many shots to him." -- Matthew Goggin in response to being asked about playing well and if he noticed Tiger Woods' name on the leaderboard.

Goggin is right that first-round leads are kind of irrelevant -- except when the name in the lead is Tiger Woods. He's the best front-runner in the history of golf and he has a history of hitting the gas pedal in these situations. The old adage about not being able to win a golf tournament, but shooting yourself out of it the first day is true, but when it's Woods we're talking about a different set of physics apply. -- Brian Wacker

MORE ON MCILROY'S FIRST PGA (3:25 p.m.): When that birdie putt plopped into the cup at the 10th hole, his first of the day, Rory McIlroy looked at his caddy, J.P. Fitzgerald and smiled.

"It's nice to see a red number by my name again," the 20-year-old Irishman recalled saying. "Hopefully that's a sign of things to come this week. I'm going to take it one day at a time and see what happens."

McIlroy came to Hazeltine National searching a bit after a disappointing performance in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last week. He tied for 68th at Firestone, shooting shot 10 over and making just five birdies over four rounds.

That's why the 71 he shot during the first round of the PGA Championship was such a confidence boost for the young phenom with the abundant curls.

"I felt as if it was a very solid round," McIlroy said. "It was quite the opposite to what I was playing like last week, which was nice, to turn it around. I got off to a great start. I was 3 under through six and I wasn't able to keep that going but I felt as if I played very solid today. Didn't put myself in too many bad spots, so I was happy with 1 under. It could have been a little better but I'll take it.

"I gave myself a lot of chances which wasn't like me the last few weeks. ... I didn't find something but I just felt as if my rhythm was a little better and I started to strike it a little better and I was able to bring that on to the golf course which was really nice. So hopefully that's a sign of things to come this week.

"The last three tournaments I've played have been a really big grind, just trying to make pars and trying to shoot somewhere around level par, but I actually feel after today that I can go around this golf course and shoot a good number."

McIlroy, already a winner on the European Tour, has played in 10 PGA TOUR events this season and won more than $400,000. He tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, 20th at the Masters and 47th at the Open Championship. -- Helen Ross

A KINDER, GENTLER MAJOR? (3:10 p.m.): The breeze is blowing a bit and the greens should firm up through the week here at Medinah, but right now, by all accounts, Hazeltine can be had. Some of that has to do with the course set-up, some of it with the fact 5 inches of rain fell earlier in the week, softening everything up.

Whether it's Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia or others, a lot of people seem to think a good score can be shot today. And there have been plenty so far -- from Woods' 5-under 67 to lead, to the 22 other players currently under par with some of the field having not even teed off yet.

"Definitely a good score. I didn't play my best golf, but I managed to get it around," said Garcia, who is in with a 1-under 71. "I think that the greens are getting a little firmer, a little crustier, and as the day goes on, they get a little bumpier, so it's tougher to make putts. You can put up a decent score, but I don't see anybody shooting like a 7 or 8 under this afternoon but I might be wrong,"

Added Robert Allenby, who is in with a 69: "It was a lot firmer yesterday afternoon than what it was this morning. Some of the greens were pretty soft, and we were able to fire at them."

Like Garcia said, though, don't expect it to stay like that. This place should firm up and soon. -- Brian Wacker

TIGER IN WITH A 67 AND IN THE LEAD (2:45 p.m.): If Tiger Woods is going to win a fifth career PGA Championship, he certainly got off to a good start today, shooting a bogey-free 5-under 67 to sit atop the leaderboard by himself. Padraig Harrington, who played with Woods in the final pairing at Firestone last week and again today, shot 68 and is one back, but right now there's no one who's going to catch Woods anytime soon.

"I had some good sessions with Hank [Haney] this week," Tiger told TNT after his round. "I hit the ball well all day, hit some good putts even though I didn't make that many. You can make birdies here. You can be a little more aggressive. I was very comfortable with what I was doing today."

Usually when Woods feels comfortable that's a bad sign for the rest of the field. Now we'll have to see if anyone from the afternoon wave -- like Phil Mickelson, who just teed off -- can catch him. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Woods' scorecard from today:

SIDE GAME (2:30 p.m.): Rory McIlroy wasn't particularly happen when he came off the course Tuesday, having been on the losing end of a match with Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. He went straight to the range to see if he could fix what was ailing in his game, then played nine holes on Wednesday before heading to the Mall of America.

"I think the little rest helped me a little bit just to get into a little bit of a rhythm again and got on to the range this morning and I felt pretty good," McIlroy said.

Ah, but did he ride the roller coaster in the amusement park that's located in the middle of the sprawling mall? Not that trip.

"I wanted to go in the aquarium but we couldn't find it," McIlroy said. "It was so big. I just got a couple of bits and pieces, not much." -- Helen Ross

FISHER FRUSTRATED (2:10 p.m.): Ross Fisher, who finished in the top 15 in each of the last two majors with a tie for 13th at the British Open and a fifth-place finish at the U.S. Open, got off to a slower start today, shooting a 1-over 73.

"Extremely frustrating," Fisher said. "Same as last week, hit the ball, well, I mean, I think I hit something like eight greens in a row, and then probably hit maybe the wrong club off 14 and got a little bit unlucky, stymied behind the tree and then compounded by chipping out and getting over the back. Then maybe got a little bit too aggressive on I think it's No. 5, tried to cut a shot in there, just missed the green, hit a great chip and missed the putt. No. 7, went for it in two and just duffed a rescue."

"Apart from that ... just couldn't buy a putt."

At least he won't have to worry about his wife, Joanne, going into labor this week, though, like he did at the British Open, where he was on standby with her expecting any day.

"She's [the baby] doing good," Fisher said. "It's really nice to see the pictures. Kind of brings it home a little bit when you're away, and Jo did actually say to her Mum, it might actually be bad sending too many pictures that it might make him miss her, which is right, I do miss the little one, but I'll be here three more days and enjoy three weeks at home." -- Brian Wacker

HARRINGTON HOLDING HIS OWN (1:50 p.m.): Tiger Woods isn't the only one atop the leaderboard at Hazeltine. Playing partner and defending champion Padraig Harrington has apparently forgotten all about his 70th-hole meltdown at Firestone last week, getting to 4 under today with five birdies and one bogey as he and Woods (along with Rich Beem) play their last few holes of the opening round.

Joining them is Hunter Mahan, who, like Woods is bogey-free and at 4 under with three of his birdies coming on the easier front nine at Hazeltine. -- Brian Wacker

TIGER ON TOP (1:30 p.m.): Tiger Woods, who is in the lead at the moment at 4 under through 13 holes, is looking to become the first player to win two consecutive events prior to a major and then go on to win that major since Byron Nelson made the 1945 PGA Championship his ninth consecutive win.

In all, 10 players, including Woods, have won the week before a major then gone on to win a major (see chart below). -- Helen Ross

Year

Player

Tournament won before major

Major won

2007

Tiger Woods

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

PGA

2006

Phil Mickelson

BellSouth Classic

Masters

1988

Sandy Lyle

Greater Greensboro Open

Masters

1971

Lee Trevino

Canadian Open

British Open

1959

Art Wall

Azalea Open

Masters

1949

Sam Snead

Greater Greensboro Open

Masters

1946

Ben Hogan

Winnipeg Open

PGA

1945

Byron Nelson

Chicago Victory Open

PGA

1939

Ralph Guldahl

Greater Greensboro Open

Masters

1939

Henry Picard

Scranton Open

PGA

TIGER TRACKING TOWARD THE LEAD (12:59 p.m.): There's still a lot of golf to be played in today's opening round of the PGA Championship, but Tiger Woods is putting himself in good position with four birdies and no bogeys through his first 12 holes.

When Woods plays well in the opening round of a major, he generally keeps it going the rest of the week. Is this one of those weeks? It very well could be. Three of his four PGA Championship wins have come after opening rounds under par. In 2006, he opened with a 3-under 69 at Medinah; in 2000 he shot a 6-under 66 at Valhalla; and in 1999 he shot a 2-under 70 at Medinah. -- Brian Wacker

DIGGING THE LONG BALL (12:35 p.m.): Hazeltine is playing as the longest golf course in major championship history so maybe it's no surprise that some of the longest hitters in golf are hovering near the top of the leaderboard right now.

Dustin Johnson, who is 2 under through 13 holes today, ranks third on the PGA TOUR in driving distance at 308.5 yards, while Spain's Alvaro Quiros, also at 3 under through his first 10 holes, averages a European Tour-best 315.6 yards off the tee. Even Robert Allenby, coming off a runner-up finish at Firestone last week and 3 under so far this week, isn't exactly considered short at 294.9 yards.

The flip side to that, though, is there's a point where a course can be so long that it negates advantages for long hitters because no one can reach some par-5s in two. That explains why a guy like Paul Goydos, who averages just 276.6 yards off the tee, can compete here, which is exactly what he's doing at 2 under. That said, there are spots at Hazeltine where longer hitters will have an advantage.

"I do think there's an advantage, even though there's no advantage on the par 5s for a longer player," Phil Mickelson said. "That gets nullified with the fact you can't reach it. But there's an advantage on the par-4s being able to get the ball down in certain areas and carry certain bunkers off the tee. No. 10 being an example. The fairway opens up a little bit more if you can fly it 300 and that can be a factor." -- Brian Wacker

TIGER AT THE TURN (12:15 p.m.): The Tiger Woods-Padraig Harrington-Rich Beem group has made the turn and they're all at 2 under heading to the front nine here at Hazeltine. Woods and Harrington are both bogey-free with a pair of birdies each, while Beem, who got off to a slow start with a bogey on the par-4 10th, has since rebounded with three straight birdies to close out his first nine.

Obviously, all three are in good position, especially considering that the front nine at Hazeltine is playing nearly a half-stroke easier. One of the reasons it is playing easier: The 490-yard par-4 first is the 17th hardest hole on the course, while the 572-yard par-5 seventh is playing as the 15th most difficult. In other words, expect more birdies to come from this group. -- Brian Wacker

TWEET OF THE DAY (12:05 p.m.): "Just having my poached eggs on toast, raisin bran, bowl of fruit, cup of good old english breakfast tea. Set me up for the day." -- @ianjamespoulter (better known as Ian Poulter) on his preparation for today's first round. Poulter will tee off in just over two hours from now at 2:25 p.m. ET with Ernie Els and Steve Stricker.

Only once in his career has Poulter finished in the top 10 at a PGA Championship. That was in 2006 when he tied for ninth at Medinah. Poulter, however, is having one of the best seasons of his career with four top-10s, including a runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship. -- Brian Wacker

IN THE MONEY (11:55 a.m.): The purse for the 91st PGA Championship was announced this morning as $7.5 million, which is the same as it was in 2008. The winner on Sunday will receive $1.35 million and -- if he's a PGA TOUR member -- 600 FedExCup points. For an American, that also translates into 2,700,000 Presidents Cup points. -- Helen Ross

CAMILO'S HOT START (11:45 a.m.): It was about this time last year that Camilo Villegas started to play some of the best golf of his season and arguably his career. He finished in a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship then tied for third in Boston and closed out the year with back-to-back wins in St. Louis and Atlanta.

Is Villegas about to have a similar type of run? So far today, Villegas has four birdies through his first eight holes -- though he did make a pair of bogeys, too.

Or could it be a change in caddies that has Villegas re-focused and playing better? Brett Waldman, Ben Crane's former caddie, is on Villegas' bag, replacing his former looper, Gary Matthews, who left for part-time work (with Sergio Garcia) so he could spend more time at home with his wife and their new baby. -- Brian Wacker

TIGER, PADDY, BEEM UPDATE (11:30 a.m.): Tiger Woods isn't wasting any time getting off to a good start this morning at Hazeltine, where he's birdied two of his first six holes. That has Woods at 2 under and as the low man in the group with defending champion Padraig Harrington at 1 under and Rich Beem, the 2002 winner here, at 1 over.

Woods, however, doesn't exactly have a history of strong starts in major championships, especially at the PGA Championship, where he's broken par five times and broken 70 just three times. Of course, the last time he broke par in the first round of a PGA -- where he's a staggering 54 under overall for his career, nearly 50 strokes lower than the next closest guy -- was in 2006 at Medinah, where he went on to win.

Woods' lowest start in a PGA is a 66, in 1998 at Sahalee and 2000 when he beat Bob May in a memorable playoff at Valhalla. His worst opening-round start in a PGA is a 75, which he shot in 2005 and 2004 at Baltusrol and Whistling Straits, respectively. -- Brian Wacker

GOING LONG (11:15 a.m.): It seems every year we have a course that's the longest in major championship history and this week in Minnesota is no different. Hazeltine National is the longest course to ever host a major, as well as the longest ever played on the PGA TOUR -- by three yards. Here’s a list of the longest TOUR courses that have hosted stroke-play events since 1999. -- Helen Ross

Year

Course

Yardage

Tournament

Winner

2009

Hazeltine

7,674

PGA

TBD

2008

Conservatory Course

7,663

Ginn sur Mer Classic

Ryan Palmer

2008

Torrey Pines (South)

7,643

U.S. Open

Tiger Woods

2009

Torrey Pines (South)

7,628

Buick Invitational

Nick Watney

2008

Torrey Pines (South)

7,569

Buick Invitational

Tiger Woods

2008

Trump International - Puerto Rico

7,569

Puerto Rico Open

Greg Kraft

2005

Torrey Pines (South)

7,568

Buick Invitational

Tiger Woods

2006

Torrey Pines (South)

7,568

Buick Invitational

Tiger Woods

2007

Torrey Pines (South)

7,568

Buick Invitational

Tiger Woods

2004

Torrey Pines (South)

7,568

Buick Invitational

John Daly

2003

Torrey Pines (South)

7,568

Buick Invitational

Tiger Woods

2002

Torrey Pines (South)

7,568

Buick Invitational

Tiger Woods

2006

Medinah Country Club

7,561

PGA

Tiger Woods

1989

Montreux G&CC

7,552

Reno-Tahoe Open

Notah Begay III

2001

Montreux G&CC

7,552

Reno-Tahoe Open

John Cook

OLYMPIC NEWS (11 a.m.): One small step for the Olympics, one giant step for golf being included in the Olympics. The news broke earlier today that golf moved one very big step closer to being included in the 2016 Olympics and it also got a ringing endorsement from Tiger Woods (certainly a key figure in the process one would think) when he and other top players said they would play if it indeed becomes an Olympic sport.

Final approval will require a majority vote by the full International Olympic Committee in October.

"We are obviously thrilled with this announcement," said Ty Votaw, the PGA TOUR's Executive Vice President of Communications and International Affairs who is spearheading golf's Olympic bid. "It takes an important step closer for golf to return as an Olympic sport."

Added PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka: "This is not complete yet. But we are very encouraged by today and we are proud of the support that we have received from every corner of our industry, beginning with the players themselves." (Click here to read more.) -- Brian Wacker

PREZ CUP POINTS AT STAKE (10:45 a.m.): There are seven Americans and 16 International players who could conceivably move into the top 10 when the automatic qualifiers for the Presidents Cup teams are finalized Sunday night at the end of the PGA Championship.

The International Team is based on the Official World Golf Ranking and does not include players who are eligible for the Ryder Cup. According to the folks who administer the OWGR, the two players who could be in danger of falling out of the top 10 are No. 9 Tim Clark and No. 10 Rory Sabbatini.

On the U.S. side, Justin Leonard currently stands 10th with 8,362,967 points. No. 11 Brian Gay needs at least solo 15th to have a shot at passing him while Hunter Mahan and Lucas Glover need to finish alone in fourth or better. Nick Watney, Jerry Kelly, Dustin Johnson and David Toms all need wins.

U.S. Captain Fred Couples and his International counterpart, Greg Norman, will then have the next three weeks to ponder their Captain’s Picks. Each will complete his team with two picks on Sept. 8 after the Deutsche Bank Championship has concluded. -- Helen Ross

EARLY UPS AND DOWNS (10:30 a.m.): Rory McIlroy might be young -- he's just 20 years old -- but he's certainly wise beyond his years. Part of that can be attributed to the careful management of his career, part of it experiences like his long-time friendship with Darren Clarke. Hearing him talk about coming into this week having not playing his best recently, he wasn't all that worried.

"I don't think it's tiredness," McIlroy said. "I was speaking to a few people about it last night and you're always -- in golf, you're always going to have a few lulls and then you're going to have obviously the highs, as well. It's just about making the most of playing badly. Turning the 40ths, 50th-place finishes into top-30s or top-20s. I'm still learning how to do that."

Apparently McIlroy is learning well, too. It's early, but he's already 3 under through his first six holes today thanks to birdies on Nos. 10, 15 and 16.

No matter what McIlroy does this week, though, he doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself, even if it was 10 years ago that another rising young player, Sergio Garcia, had the golf world abuzz with his play at Medinah.

"I never set myself a time frame of when I would want to win one, because you look at Sergio García, and he is probably one of the best ball-strikers I've ever played with, one of the best players I've ever played with. If he has not won a major, it's obviously very difficult to win one," McIlroy said. "Hopefully it won't take me so long. But if it does, then so be it. I've got a long career ahead of me, and hopefully 30 years to win a few majors. So I'm not going to try and rush it just yet."

Another player trying to win his first career major, Paul Casey, will have to wait until next year. He withdrew earlier this morning with a rib injury that also forced him to pull out at Firestone last week.

"It is very frustrating because standing there hitting easy golf swings it is not that bad," Casey said. "It is just starting to pull when you are getting to 6-irons and longer." (Click here to read more). -- Brian Wacker